ALVA, Okla. – The losing streak stopped at 12 after the Bulldogs won the first game of a Great American Conference doubleheader against in-state rival Northwestern Oklahoma State on Tuesday afternoon in Alva. It was the first win for the Bulldogs since February 14 against Eastern New Mexico.
Game 1: SWOSU 6, NWOSU 5Box Score The Rangers jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first. However, SWOSU was able to quickly answer with two runs of their own in the top of the second. After
Makensy Payne reached on a single to centerfield, she had to wait just three more batters to be brought around to home.
Tori Hawk was the Bulldog who provided the answer, bombing one over the right field fence for a two-run home run. Northwestern would restore the two-run lead in the bottom of the inning to make the score 4-2.
SWOSU would manage to pull back another run in the third. With the bases loaded,
Cheyenne Trotter was hit by a pitch which caused
Maci Brown to score. The Bulldogs followed that up in the top of the fourth with Hawk's second home run of the game to tie the game at 4-4. The Rangers again took the lead in the bottom of the inning, plating their fifth run of the game.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth and sixth, but it was SWOSU who would score in the decisive seventh inning. A
Samantha Perry-double to center scored both
Ashley Dunigan and
Sierra Potts for SWOSU's first lead of the game. The Bulldogs blanked the Rangers in the bottom of the inning despite NWOSU having two runners on in scoring position.
Rileigh Ricken got the start in the circle, but it was
Laura Wilson who picked up her first win of the season.
Taylor Eaves was credited with her first save after coming on in relief in the seventh frame. Hawk led the Bulldogs with three hits on four at-bats and recording three RBI to go along with two runs of her own.
Game 2: NWOSU 8, SWOSU 2Box Score In the second game, it was SWOSU who took the early lead after
Kendall Smith went the yard for a two-run home run that also scored
Ashley Filer. From that point on that, the Bulldogs would record just three hits as the Rangers rattled off eight unanswered runs.
NWOSU took the lead in the fourth with four runs. They then scored three in the bottom of the fifth before tacking on a final run in the bottom of the sixth to create the final score line.
Wilson was saddled with the loss, though every SWOSU pitcher saw action.
Ashley Jones had the hot bat for the Bulldogs, recording two of the Bulldogs' five hits on three at-bats.
SWOSU picked up their first conference win under first-year head coach
Barbara Burnett and are now 1-11 in the GAC. They will return to action Friday, March 27 for the first two games of a four-game conference series against Arkansas Tech. First pitch is scheduled for 4 pm.
